"Gladful" is ready to make Indian breakfast protein rich

The Indian diet may be rich in carbohydrates, but when it comes to protein, we are not at par with our global peers. According to several medical journals available online, the country's protein intake is much lower than the 48 grams recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). This deficit was also highlighted by the 2022 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), which found that 80% of Indians do not meet their daily protein requirements.

Now, India's protein deficit is rooted in our culturally ingrained eating habits. We pride ourselves as the best vegetarian country in the world. 38% to 40% of the total population avoids meat, which is a major source of protein.

Although the results may not be visible, protein deficiency can lead to muscle wasting and weakness, reduced bone growth and density, stunting and anemia.

Parul Sharma, head of modern trade at FMCG major Mondelez, felt the same, and felt that their "family nutrition" was strong. However, a routine pediatric checkup for their son in 2020 revealed the truth of protein deficiency in their household.

To correct his son's deficiency, the doctor suggested adding protein-rich biscuits to his diet. Next came my son's objection to taking the prescribed protein supplement. Precisely, it was at this point that Sharma's quest to find a healthy protein alternative for her child began inside her kitchen, which Sharma believes is the problem of nearly 93% of Indian mothers.

Like most Indians, Sharma was reluctant to turn to protein supplements. During that time several cases of drug adulteration in such products came to light. Given the situation, it's natural to turn to more natural protein sources.

In their quest to find foods that are rich not only in protein but also in taste, they brought along their brother Manu Sharma, a chartered accountant by profession.

Founded in 2021, Gladful's motto is to create everyday vegetarian meals packed with protein and fiber. Since its launch, Gladful has attracted a healthy customer base, selling to around 20K customers per month and generating revenue of Rs 2.3 crore in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23). Sharma claims that a large part of their sales come from repeat customers.

Gladful's growth coincides with emerging trends in India's protein-based market. According to IMARC Group, India's protein-based products market, including protein bars, powders, supplements, beverages, ice creams, cereals and snacks, is expected to reach $150.8 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 15.8%.

Despite the potential, Gladful faced significant challenges in convincing people to switch from traditional diets to healthier options.

They said FMCG giants like Kellogg's have tried to introduce cereals but have had little impact on India's preference while dominating the great Indian "Nasta".

“Ultimately, Indians love to eat hot breakfast and these five favorite breakfast items will remain their first priority. So what we do with Gladful is focus on protein and get them to eat what they eat. With an infusion of bamboo-based protein, our dosa batter has 4 times more protein than any conventional batter. All our products are similar to this,” added Sharma.

However, a critical limitation for Gladful to enter Indian kitchens is its price point. According to Sharma, the brand may be premium for many, but that is not the case in metro cities.

"Compared to other products in the Indian market, our products are slightly more expensive (around 20 to 30%, but I think our customers are willing to invest a little more in terms of healthy alternatives without compromising on taste. Our main USP is to offer protein. The least amount of palm oil, hydrogenated fat. , trans fat or flour content, has helped us make a name for ourselves in the breakfast market,” said Sharma.

Currently, Gladful's SKU count is 18, which includes high protein cookies, soybean based snacks, date bites and fried snacks. Still, Sharma says 70% of the company's revenue comes from the breakfast segment, while the rest of the snacks segment brings in the rest of the company's sales.

Gladful rises to fame

Interestingly, Gladful got a high boost in its business after appearing in Season 2 of Shark Tank India earlier this year.

The company claims that the exposure from the show, in which Aman Gupta, Namitha Thapar and Amit Jain invested Rs 50 lakh, led to a significant increase in monthly sales, from 10,000 to 18,000-20,000 transactions per month after appearing on the show.

Another crucial marketing boost for the Jaipur-based startup came from "Label Padhega India", a social media trend popularized by influencer Revanth Himatsinka.

Gladful was helped by Sharma's extensive experience with Mondelez as head of modern trading. She has also been instrumental in fine-tuning Gladfulin's marketing strategy to directly target mothers looking for healthy alternatives for their children.

The startup leverages a sizeable community of home chefs who review its products, create content for them and publish independent reviews.

Gladfull's journey ahead

Despite all efforts, Gladful remains a loss-making entity. In FY23, the company posted a revenue of Rs 2.29 crore, but posted a loss of Rs 90.92 lakh, with total expenses of Rs 3.51 crore. Notably, a substantial amount (INR 1.84 crore) was spent on packaging and marketing.

The company has raised Rs 13 crore since its inception from investors like Antler India, Huddle, Tholons Capital's Ankita Vashishta, Bombay Shaving Company's Shantanu Deshpande and Shark.

In January 2024, Gladful raised Rs 6 crore in seed funding from undisclosed investors to fuel expansion plans and avoid the loss-making tag.

“Going forward, our primary focus is to consolidate our breakfast portfolio with new SKUs and expand to new e-commerce platforms beyond Amazon, Flipkart, Jiomart, BigBasket, Blinkit and our website,” Sharma said.

Currently competing with companies like MTR, ITC and ID Fresh Food, Sharma is looking to focus on offline expansion. They aim to have offline sales in Jaipur within the next 12 months.